'Speed Racer' replica attracts film crew to Flagler

Saturday

Feb 2, 2013 at 12:01 AMFeb 2, 2013 at 11:07 PM

All it takes is one look at the stylized red “M” on the hood to know that “adventure's waitin' just ahead.”

JULIE MURPHYSTAFF WRITER

PALM COAST — All it takes is one look at the stylized red “M” on the hood, the periscope peeking up behind the driver's seat, and the spinning blades of steel under the headlights to know that “adventure's waitin' just ahead.”And an adventure it has been for Len and Lenny Mosco — the father and son who own a street-legal replica of the iconic Speed Racer cartoon car of the late-1960s. A film crew traveled last week from Cologne, Germany, to shoot footage of the car at the Flagler Airport for the foreign Vox Television series “Auto Mobil”.“(It's) the longest running and most successful television show (about) automobiles on German TV,” said producer Andreas Vollbach, between giving direction to his camera crew and conducting interviews.The crew from Vox Television has been touring the country, including taking in an auto show in Detroit and an RV show in Tampa, and caught wind of the Moscos' Mach 5.“This car travels all around the country, so they could have picked anywhere to shoot this,” said Len Mosco.While Daytona International Speedway may seem a more logical choice, with filming scheduled between the Rolex 24 and Daytona 500, Vollbach selected the Flagler Airport for its beauty. He was familiar with the look of it from the 1990 movie “Days of Thunder,” which used portions of the airport property to simulate Daytona International Speedway.Mosco, 53, whose boyish looks somewhat resemble Speed's, a character from the cartoon, said it was his son's idea to build the car in 2007 when they first moved to Palm Coast from New Jersey. “He said, ‘Hey Dad, let's build the Mach 5,' ” said Mosco, a successful businessman in the medical field. “We did.”Lenny, now 21, said he learned about the show from his father rather than from the 2008 feature film “Speed Racer.”“My dad always talked about it,” Lenny said. “He got me interested in it. It's really cool.” The TV cartoon series aired 52 episodes in 1967 and 1968 and has become a cult classic on DVD. Reruns were shown for many years after the original series was cancelled and it was re-released in the 1990s. “There were a lot of kids who couldn't wait to get home from school to watch it,” said family friend Jonathan Haglund, who also drives the truck and trailer that hauls the Mach 5 around the country for appearances. “Len was the guy who got home first.”It's difficult to listen to Mosco wax about his childhood without hearing: “Here he comes. Here comes Speed Racer. He's a demon on wheels . . .” Vollbach fell in love with the car, which was built on a C4 Corvette chassis with a small-block Chevy 350 engine, but said he hadn't known much about the cartoon on which it was based. “Speed Racer is all of us,” the elder Mosco said. “Well, anyone who loves the sport of racing.”Haglund further explained that Speed Racer was more than just a racer and his car was more than just a car. “Speed Racer was a racecar driver, but he always happened to be in the right spot for an escapade — to help someone,” Haglund said. “He was a good, good soul.”California car builder Mark Towle, whom the Moscos commissioned to build the car, flew to Flagler County for the TV shoot. He wouldn't say exactly what the car cost to build, but said the “starting price” is $75,000 depending on what accessories and features — like the periscope and blades — are added. Towle said he has built five of the replicas but the one he built for the Moscos was the first with a body style that matches the cartoon body. And it's the only one that is street legal. It is insured for a half-million dollars.“As soon as these big kids (men who see the car and loved the show in childhood) find out you can have one built, they want one,” Towle said.Towle, 50, has been building and rebuilding cars and motorcycles since he was 16. It said it took him a year to build the car. “He kept telling me, ‘Don't rush me. I'm an artist,' ” the elder Mosco said. “He told me it would take three or four months.”It was completed in time to be displayed at the 35th Daytona Turkey Run held Thanksgiving 2008. It also made an appearance at the 2009 Daytona 500.Towle put the car through its paces for the German film crew, spinning doughnuts and bringing the car up to speed. Afterward, Lenny took the hot rod for a spin on the airport's newly finished access road.“It was amazing,” the younger Mosco said. “It's the first time I really got to drive it fast.” Airport Director Roy Sieger also got to take the Mach 5 for a spin.“We are really honored that they chose to shoot this here,” he said through a smile that stretched almost ear to ear.